UCAS 2012 - Discuss your decisions here

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Ahh okay

That sounds great-Im looking forward to visiting again.
I just think I was very lucky to get an offer from Bristol, and everyone I know who applied to Exeter got in (I know that shouldn't be something to sway my decision though).

Yeah I was part of the National Youth Theatre, so I might like to take some acting/drama up... I think both have societies like this if i remember rightly.
Yeah the Exeter money for grades is what I mean, but I can just get a job I guess :P

yeahh Bristol accommodation is in annoying locations :/

Ah, the drama is interesting. My other son is a member of Bristol Old Vic Young Theatre Company. He's going to be applying for acting courses next year.

Exeter has a great drama department (one of the top in the country) but I don't know how good their drama society is. At least there is a theatre on site and it says the drama soc. put on productions there.

Bristol is a great city for drama. It has the Old Vic for straight drama and the Hippodrome for mainstream stuff and lots of alternative stuff going on.

If you are under twenty one when you get to Bristol you could look at joining the Old Vic (they do theatre and dance theatre and writing for theatre) which is held in the evenings. cost c.£100 a term. Really great place and interesting people. You put on your productions at the Old Vic itself. Of course I suppose being at Exeter wouldn't preclude any of this anyway. Bristol is about an hour away on the train. We currently live an hour's drive from Bristol and my youngest son goes there three times a week for drama and stuff.

There is also ITV West who run a workshop once a week at the studios.

:smile:

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 901

LadyLazarus

I applied to do Social Policy and Sociology/Sociology.

Offers from London School of Economics, Goldsmiths, London Metropolitan, Westminster and Middlesex.
I've accept LSE as my firm and Goldsmiths as my insurance. I need ABB for LSE and BBB for Goldsmiths.

I'm very excited.

Reply 902

Jackkkkk

Original post by catoswyn

Ah, the drama is interesting. My other son is a member of Bristol Old Vic Young Theatre Company. He's going to be applying for acting courses next year.

Exeter has a great drama department (one of the top in the country) but I don't know how good their drama society is. At least there is a theatre on site and it says the drama soc. put on productions there.

Bristol is a great city for drama. It has the Old Vic for straight drama and the Hippodrome for mainstream stuff and lots of alternative stuff going on.

If you are under twenty one when you get to Bristol you could look at joining the Old Vic (they do theatre and dance theatre and writing for theatre) which is held in the evenings. cost c.£100 a term. Really great place and interesting people. You put on your productions at the Old Vic itself.

There is also ITV West who run a workshop once a week at the studios.

:smile:

Wow the Old Vic is amazing, ive seen a few things there. That does sound amazing - definitely look into that :biggrin:

thankyou for letting me know, you are veryyy clued in with everything :smile:

- so helpfull :smile:

Reply 903

HotfireLegend

Original post by looselipssinkships

All my offers are the same, no idea how I'm going to pick an insurance...

Contact them all and ask which one would be most lenient if you were to, say, get a grade below what they ask.

Reply 904

catoswyn

Original post by Jackkkkk

Wow the Old Vic is amazing, ive seen a few things there. That does sound amazing - definitely look into that :biggrin:

thankyou for letting me know, you are veryyy clued in with everything :smile:

- so helpfull :smile:

I know, don't you just love the Bristol Old Vic... it's one of my favourite places ever and that street has lots of lovely pubs and restaurants... like a mini theatre land. :smile:

I edited my last post about if you did go to Exeter you can still reach Bristol for all these activities... we live about an hour from Bristol at the moment but go there all the time. Its just more expensive (still you'd have your thousand pound) and obviously more of a hassle but given the Exeter uni. closeness to the railway station really doable

However if you are in Bristol itself then obviously its easier still!

I'm not really clued up... I think its just a coincidence. If you'd said your hobby was canoeing I wouldn't have had a clue. And I'm in Somerset and have lived in Bristol and Exeter so just happen to know a bit about them.

:smile:

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 905

looselipssinkships

Original post by HotfireLegend

Contact them all and ask which one would be most lenient if you were to, say, get a grade below what they ask.

I was considering doing this but I thought it sounded a bit insulting... But I think you're right I might try it.

Reply 906

catoswyn

Original post by Jackkkkk

Wow the Old Vic is amazing, ive seen a few things there. That does sound amazing - definitely look into that :biggrin:

thankyou for letting me know, you are veryyy clued in with everything :smile:

- so helpfull :smile:

Hey, just checked Bristol Old Vic and the age limit is 25, so you could go there all through your degree if you wanted.

It looks like you're going to meet one or other of my sons or even both in any case!!

:smile:

Reply 907

Jackkkkk

Original post by catoswyn

I know, don't you just love the Bristol Old Vic... it's one of my favourite places ever and that street has lots of lovely pubs and restaurants... like a mini theatre land. :smile:

I edited my last post about if you did go to Exeter you can still reach Bristol for all these activities... we live about an hour from Bristol at the moment but go there all the time. Its just more expensive and obviously more of a hassle but given the Exeter uni. closeness to the railway station really doable

However if you are in Bristol itself then obviously its easier still!

I'm not really clued up... I think its just a coincidence. If you'd said your hobby was canoeing I wouldn't have had a clue. And I'm in Somerset and have lived in Bristol and Exeter so just happen to know a bit about them.

:smile:

Yeah it is such a good theatre, very nice area as you say :smile:

- just seen your other post, that's brilliant about the age thing, definitely swaying toward Bristol :P

That is a good point, I guess travelling on the train would only be about an hour or so...

Well even if it is just coincidence, its a very helpful coincidence :smile:

so Thank You :smile:

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 908

Monkeysuit.

Original post by alexsasg

As a bit of a prestige whore, may I ask why you decided to turn down UCL? Just out of curiosity.

Sorry I've only just seen this, and because I live in London so don't want to stay here for uni, I want to get away and experience a new style of life. Plus the employment prospects are better at Exeter. I do however hope to do my masters at UCL, ie I wish to return to London after uni and eventually work in the city :smile:

But overall I just fell in love with Exeter both times that I went there, whereas I didn't get that feeling at UCL.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 909

HotfireLegend

Original post by looselipssinkships

I was considering doing this but I thought it sounded a bit insulting... But I think you're right I might try it.

Worst they can do is say they aren't lenient - it's a common question at open days, so don't worry.

Reply 910

catoswyn

Original post by looselipssinkships

I was considering doing this but I thought it sounded a bit insulting... But I think you're right I might try it.

Even if they have all offerred the same grades do you personally think you can divide them up according to how popular/prestigious they may be? If you can then it would give you a guide as to what order to put them in as the least popular would be a better bet for adapting grades.

:smile:

Reply 911

alexsasg

Original post by Monkeysuit.

But overall I just fell in love with Exeter both times that I went there, whereas I didn't get that feeling at UCL.

Cool

loving the uni's the most important thing anyway!

Reply 912

catoswyn

Original post by History Student

My initial intention is to become a primary school teacher, recently ive been thinking about doing a pgce after my degree for a history teacher at a high school. But my dilemma is, should i do straight history or medieval and modern history.. my feeling is that i will enjoy the latter more, but straight history there is more variety, which may be better if i go for the high school teaching.

Ive applied to study history at uni, then i want to go on to do the pgce. Any advice people???

Really it wouldn't matter that much. One of my children is a history teacher and did a PGCE in History after a degree which was in Archeology.

PGCE courses will not care about the difference between straight history v medieval/modern. Do the degree that most appeals to you.

:smile:

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 913

catoswyn

Original post by LadyLazarus

Well done. Great offers! :smile:

Reply 914

lukas1051

I firmed Imperial College for Geology a couple of days ago, with Southampton as my insurance :smile:

Reply 915

PipGrove

Original post by looselipssinkships

All my offers are the same, no idea how I'm going to pick an insurance...

Same thing for me... And I'm still waiting for one university, the one that I want to firm!! What unis did you pick?

Reply 916

racheatworld

Undecided between Kings College, London, Manchester and Newcastle for Dentistry. All AAA offers.

Reply 917

ShayBethh!

kind of f*cked up. applied 2011 for english, got in but declined because i wanted to do nursing. this year i've been rejected by 4 of my choices for child nursing, i'm so confused! but i've realised i wanna work with kids, so i'm thinking primary teaching. thing is i'm never usually this indecisive! so i may just suck it up, do some sort of humanities degree - predicted ABC in humanities subjects - and do a pgce. just a little vent. sorry! :smile:

anybody having a crisis like mine? :tongue:

Reply 918

catoswyn

Original post by ShayBethh!

anybody having a crisis like mine? :tongue:

Ouch, that sounds tough. Sorry to hear about the rejections. Nursing is one of the hardest things to get a place in though. They turn down lots of great people who are well suited to it just because of the number of applicants.

A degree followed by a PGCE is certainly an option. Works easiest when you choose a subject that is part of the school curriculum... certainly for secondary level. For primary there is more room for manoevure. My friend qualified in Geography but speaks Spanish and did her PGCE Primary in Spanish as her main subject. You'll need to have GCSE Maths, English and a science at grade C or above for primary teaching and GCSE Maths and English for secondary. They also do a more general degree in childhood.

Be warned that it is competitive out there for jobs afterwards..especially for primary.... average 50 people per job applying. Most people get a place in the end though and if you do have to wait for your perfect position you can do supply work which pays well and means you are earning even while looking.

I think there are some degrees that are BA in education and the like which are four years long and include the PGCE component as part of that.. you'd have to research which places do them. Bath Spa springs to mind from the far reaches of my memory.... UWE do ITE in Early years and Primary. The beauty of this is you get to spend more time on the whole education thing rather than a quick year.

There are also Social Work degrees which can lead to work with children... though obviously its tough work and a bit of a vocation. I'm not sure how many places would still be available on this though.

UWE have a foundation degree in health care.. two years long and equal to the first year of a degree... I wonder if doing something like this might help you get onto their nursing degree afterwards... ????? Don't know, just a thought as I was talking to someone else who was doing this as a way onto what she wanted later.

Good luck deciding.
You still have extra and clearing as options or the possibility of applying for nursing again next year if you are really keen on it.

:smile:

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 919

catoswyn

Original post by ShayBethh!

anybody having a crisis like mine? :tongue:

Found the details for the foundation course at UWE... it is in Health Professions. Succesful completion of it gives automatic access to one of their degrees (including child nursing)

Quote from their site:

There are nine pathways through the Foundation programme. After successful completion of the Foundation programme and a clear Health Screening questionnaire, you will automatically progress onto a place on one of the following undergraduate programmes which can be taken full-time:

including:

BSc(Hons) Children's Nursing

Children's nursing encompasses all ages from neonates to adolescents. The tendency for children to be cared for at home wherever possible means that those admitted to hospital are acutely or critically ill, and in need of highly skilled nursing care. Increasingly sophisticated nursing technical procedures need to be underpinned by an in-depth understanding of the psychosocial-biological sciences. Students undertaking this branch programme will undergo a wide range of experiences that will equip them to care for children both in hospital and in the wider community.

Will take you a year longer but you'll get funding and its certainly an option. Its meant for people who don't quite qualify for direct entry to nursing so you'd have to apply on the grounds that your humanities aren't quite right and you want extra health experience. They had places on the foundation in extra last time I looked.

:smile: